Summarize

The all-new Investchem MSA4 makes the trip to the spiritual home of South African single seater racing when it visits the spectacular East London Grand Prix Circuit at the Extreme Festival powered by Coca-Cola on Saturday 19 July. While the new series is only entering its second-ever round, East London has played host to top level single-seater racing since the first South African Grand Prix there in 1934. The current, daunting track format has been in play since the late 1950s, when it crowned the likes of Graham Hill World Champion over Jim Clark in 1962.

So, it will be most interesting how the pace of these contemporary new turbocharged litre Volkswagen powered Investchem MSA4 cars shape up versus the likes of Hill’s BRM, Clark’s Lotus, Surtees’ Ferrari and Sir Jack’s Repco Brabham, on essentially the same circuit, 60 years later. Significantly safer than those rudimentary old F1 machines, the state of the art new South African built MSA4 chassis lived up to great promise with three cracking races on its Pretoria debut at Zwartkops first time out. 

Those three races taught us that a dominant KC Ensor-Smith is likely the lad to beat at the fast, bumpy and testing Grand Prix Circuit aboard his green and turquoise African Heating Investchem MSA4. Expect Zwartkops reverse-grid final heat winner Mikel Bezuidenhout to lead the charge in his Corsa dei Gemelli car, with Shrien Naidoo’s Production X machine, KMFT Morita lad Karabo Malemela and Renzo Ribeiro’s Metal Used Spares entry to be right there at the sharp end. 

Others to look out for are veteran Nicholas van Weely’s Investchem CLR version. Investchem rookies, Jorden Moodley’s 76 Legacy car impressed first time out and never forget Red Dot Vanage racer Liam Polome, Ndzalo Khoza’s Ducted Solutions Makasela MSA4 pending his ability to write an exam remote, Kian Spies’ Corsa dei Gemelli entry, Anastasia Gerasis’ Apex Cordset and Simphiwe Mohlahlo’s Investchem CLR machines. Extra excitement comes in the form of Touring Cars wildcards, Andy Schofield in Alex Vos’ place and Siya Mankonkwana replacing the absent Adriaan Nel.

Formula Ford Kent joins the Investchem MSA4 action for the first time at East London, where legends Ian Schofield, Rick Morris, Allen Meyer and Ron van Weely join the action in their classic wingless and treaded tyre machines.

The epic high speed beachside Grand Prix Circuit should suit the new Investchem MSA4 machines to a tee, adding to the general excitement of the Extreme Festival powered by Coca-Cola on Saturday 19 July. A most worthwhile attraction, if you happen to be anywhere near East London this weekend…